This article came in an Irish e-mail newsletter today. I've put the subscribing info. at the end if anyone is interested. I've no connection with the newsletter - I just receive it. Regards, Maureen in Sydney (nee JOHNSTON) FEATURE ARTICLE In the wake of 'Jeanie Johnston' By Francis Dowling. Memories of famine emigration are being evoked in County Kerry this week where a full-size replica of a 19th century ship has just been launched for a return journey to the New World. Situated beside the Blennerville Windmill just west of Tralee, the "Jeanie Johnston" has been under construction for the last two years. Employing a team of over 200 Irish and international students and shipwrights, the project involved the reconstruction of a triple-masted 135-foot vessel, an exact replica of a Famine Era immigrant ship which carried thousands of emigrants frantic to escape a famine stricken country in the years 1847-1858. The original Jeanie Johnston was built in Quebec in 1847 and bought shortly afterwards by the Donovan family of Tralee. She was a triple-masted barque, constructed of oak and pine, and carried a full complement of 200 passengers and a crew of 17. The replica ship will carry 40 people, 10 professional crew, 18 volunteer crew and 12 passengers. Unlike many of the 'coffin ships' of the period, the 'Jeanie Johnston' was remarkable in never losing a passenger to disease or the sea. She had a humane owner in Nicholas Donovan, her master was the respected County Cork mariner Capt. James Attridge and the ship's surgeon, Dr. Richard Blennerhassett was a graduate of the Edinburgh Medical School. The Jeanie Johnston was sold off by the Donovans in 1856 and continued to sail the North Atlantic. In October 1858 while transporting a cargo of timber, she became waterlogged in mid-Atlantic and sank. All of her crew was rescued hence maintaining the ship's remarkable safety record intact. Fitting out is expected to be complete by the end of May at which time the replica Jeanie Johnston will sail from Tralee across the Atlantic on a "Millennium Voyage" to North America. She will follow the route taken by the Irish Famine ships of the 19th century, calling at 20 U.S. and Canadian cities over a seven-month period. After its North American sojourn, the "Jeanie Johnston" will return to Ireland to become a permanent floating museum at Tralee. The total cost of the project (over IR 4.5 million or US $6.5 million) also includes a brand-new Shipyard with Visitor Museum, craft shops, restaurant, and research centre. The "Jeanie Johnston" Visitor Shipyard, Blennerville, Tralee, Co. Kerry, tel. 066-712-8888; fax 066-718-1888; e-mail: [email protected] and web site: http: www.jeaniejohnston.com Open daily, hours vary with the season. S U B S C R I B E Please visit http://www.local.ie/general/genealogy/local_ancestors/index.shtml type your email into the appropriate box and hit the subscribe button.